
Remembering Iowa's first infantry in the Civil War
Published: June 17, 2026
Duration: 47:55
In the summer of 1861, Iowa sent its first soldiers into the Civil War — young men from Cedar Rapids and Burlington who enlisted just weeks after The Battle of Fort Sumter, the start of the war. The soldiers ended up on a brutal march through Missouri, culminating at the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Author Randee Fieselmann shares the young men's story in her new book, 'The Union First: Community and Commitment in the First Iowa Infantry.'